부산대학교 도서관

Transgender refers to being a person whose gender identity differs from the sex the person had or was identified as having at birth. Following the terminology and definitions of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and international sports federation policies, 'transgender' is an umbrella term. In 2003, the IOC allowed transgender athletes to participate in competitions but they needed to undergo sex reassignment surgery. The surgery requirement was abolished in 2016. The 2020 Tokyo Olympics was a new milestone because four transgender athletes participated in different sports competitions. In November 2021, based on the concepts of fairness, tolerance, and nondiscrimination, the IOC developed a guideline containing ten principles-inclusion; prevention of harm; nondiscrimination; fairness; no presumption of advantage; evidence-based approach; the primacy of health and bodily autonomy; stakeholder-centered approach; right to privacy, and periodic reviews- for international sports federations to formulate their competition policies for transgender athletes. Testosterone concentration plays an important role in the entry system for transgender competition in these policies. In this review, we introduce the definition of transgender athletes, the history of transgender athletes' participation in international competitions, the multiple physiological roles of testosterone affecting body composition and the endocrine metabolic system, the comparison of physiological effects on sports performance of men and women, and the impact of transgender women receiving gender-affirming hormone therapy. We review articles to increase the understanding of the evolution of gender equality in the field of international sports and propose future developments.